


Shameless

by parkrstark



Series: Rysposito AUs [6]
Category: Castle
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Homophobic Language, M/M, Secret Relationship, jock!javi, pianist!kevin, writer!rick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-11-05
Packaged: 2018-03-20 09:51:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3645852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parkrstark/pseuds/parkrstark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kevin has been crushing on Javier since middle school, but never had the guts to go up and talk to him. Which is why he's surprised when Javier suddenly talks to him on the first day of their junior year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

This year, I’m gonna talk to her." Rick smiled as drive down the street tapping along to the music against the steering wheel to his Ferrari.

"Yeah," Kevin said looking away from the window. "You’ve only said that since middle school and 5 years later and the closest you’ve gotten to actually conversing were filled with your sarcastic wit."

Rick shoved his best friend’s shoulder roughly with one arm and used the other to continue driving, “Shut up,” He said with a smile.

Kevin smiled back and compared their schedules again even though he already knew which classes they shared, “Maybe you’ll get lucky this year. She could be in some classes.”

Rick nodded his head and smirked at his friend once he was fully stopped at a red light. “Maybe a Benjamin here or there would persuade the office to make sure our schedules match up nicely.”

Kevin rolled his eyes, but knew his friend was joking. Richard Castle came from a very wealthy family—well mother. His mother Martha Rogers (Rogers was her stage name) was a successful actress. It was only Martha and Rick living in the house, so they didn’t split the fortune with much more than themselves for a living.

They almost never hung out at Kevin’s place; his family was extremely religious and strict and it was so much easier to get away with stuff at the Castle’s. Rick’s mother let them do whatever they wanted as long as they didn’t break anything or hurt themselves.

But, even though Rick had more than enough money he never once bragged about it or used to his advantage. He often teased himself, joking around about buying bribes. Kevin knew that Rick was spoiled more than most kids in their school, but you wouldn’t know unless you spent as much time as Kevin did with him.

For example, Rick’s car that he drove around town in with Kevin was a Ferrari and it was all his. The car would get envious glares, but no one ever walked up to the boy and asked for a ride. Kevin and Rick weren’t that popular, the rest of the school seeing them as outcasts. Rick was an amazing writer; he was in accelerated classes and was the star writer of the school paper and Kevin had brains, but wasn’t in all the academic clubs he could join because he mostly used his free time to practice the piano.

He absolutely loved to play; his parents weren’t really too happy to see him ‘waste his abilities’ in the drama department, but Rick and Martha gave him all the support he needed.

"I’ll bet you 20 bucks that I’ll tell my crush how I feel before you tell yours." Rick’s teasing broke the comfortable silence as they pulled up to the street their school was on.

Kevin groaned, “Come on Rick, you know that’s not fair.” He narrowed his eyes and pouted out the window. “It’s different.”

Castle quirked a smile and started to obnoxiously sing, “Love is looooove, it’s okay to be gaaaaay! You like dick, but hey, you’re my friend anywaaaaaaay!!”

Kevin’s cheeks burned up and he swatted his arm telling him to shut up before someone else heard them. Rick and Martha were the only ones that knew Kevin was gay; if anyone else found out he’d be in trouble. It was a small town and everyone knew everyone, meaning if the town found out that Kevin Ryan, the son of one of the most religious families in town was gay…Hell would most likely freeze over.

"That’s not even a song." Kevin grumbled.

"I know, I made it up and it rhymes. I have the talent." Rick laughed with a proud smile on his face.

"I’m serious, Rick, if anyone finds out, my parents will flip.” Kevin’s whispered now that they were pulling into the school parking lot.

"Man, don’t get your panties in a twist, I’ve known since 6th grade and haven’t told a soul. Your secret is safe with me." Rick held up his left hand in a mock fashion.

"Sorry, I know, but just one slip and my life is ruined forever. So if you could kindly not talk about my homosexuality outside of your house, it would be appreciated."

Rick started to laugh and mocked his friend, “So if you could kindly not talk about my homosexuality outside of your house, it would be appreciated.”

Kevin flicked him in the ear, “Oh so you’re funny too?”

"You bet," Rick laughed as he pulled up into a vacant parking spot by the door.

They both stepped out and shared an anxious glance, “Two more years and then we’re done, Kev.”

"Two more years." Kevin echoed as he walked through the doors ready to start his first day of 11th grade.

First period for Kevin was Chemistry and unfortunately he would not meet up again with Rick until English, 4th period.

Kevin knew the drill, he’d take an empty seat with no one around him because any time he tried sitting next to anyone they always just picked up their books and moved. So he plopped down in the back lab table and pulled out his worn out copy of Sherlock Holmes; this collection of stories was his favorite and this wasn’t even close to the first time he’s read it.

A rather funny part made Kevin smile and laugh quietly to himself when he heard a sudden voice as someone actually sat down next to him. Kevin lifted his head and saw that there were several other empty seats so that meant he wasn’t someone’s last choice.

"Whatcha reading?"

Kevin turned to look at the boy who had sat down next to him to see none other than Javier Esposito staring intently at him.

Javier Esposito, the boy that Kevin had been crushing on since freshman year in high school when he first laid eyes on him in his football jersey during the school’s homecoming pep rally.

"Sherlock Holmes…" Kevin was surprised that his voice didn’t crack out of nervousness at all.

"So not the Bible?" Javier’s tone made Kevin’s stomach plummet.

"What?"

The jock shrugged his shoulders, “Demming bet me 10 bucks you were reading some religious crap over here. I won.”

Kevin avoided his gaze and part of him hated that the boy that Kevin had spent the last two years looking up to was actually a douchebag.

"Good for you," Kevin shot back curtly as he stuck his head back into his book.

Kevin felt the Hispanic boy’s linger on him and he tried his best to ignore him, but he wouldn’t quit.

"What story you reading?" Javier broke the silence as he bounced one of his pencils up and down on the table top.

“A Scandal in Bohemia…” Kevin answered slowly not expecting Javier to know what he was talking about.

"Oh," Javier snapped his fingers, "That’s the one with the photograph and the smoke bomb, right?"

Kevin gave him a funny look and Javier blushed as he explained, “I may be a jock, but I’m not stupid. Well at least not completely.”

Kevin smiled and found himself realizing that Javier wasn’t a dick; it was just his tough football cover in front of his teammates. “I don’t think you’re stupid.”

Javier looked at him for a moment before he leaned back in his chair, “Mind being my lab partner?”

Kevin eyed him, looked over at the small cluster of his friends behind them before looking back at him, “I don’t know why you’d want to, but okay.”

Javier gave him a funny look, “Why wouldn’t I? You got cooties or something?” Kevin felt himself relax at Javier’s joking tone.

"Some think so."

"Well I’m not some, so I guess we’re partners." Kevin couldn’t hold back his smile when Javier smiled softly.

"Guess so…" Kevin shrugged his shoulders and put the book down. "I still don’t know why, but okay."

Javier held Kevin’s gaze for several seconds until the bell rang signaling the start of class. Kevin turned his head down and busied himself with taking out a notebook, still aware of Javier’s staring.

Their teacher droned on for the full 40 minutes about lab safety and what to do in case of an emergency. Towards the end, he said that these would be the partners for the year and they better be happy with their choices because they would need to trust one another in case something went wrong with chemicals. Which Kevin didn’t really understand because friend or not, if you see someone about to harm themselves from chemicals it’s common sense to use your brain and help that person.

The period unfortunately went by too fast, with Javier whispering his commentary to Kevin as their boring teacher just talked and talked.

When the bell rang, Kevin didn’t want to leave because he didn’t know if he’d see Javier in any of his other classes. He always had first period to look forward to, but it would be nice to see him more than once. Kevin thought they hit it off (as friends, definitely nothing more) and he was excited at the possible friendship.

When the bell rang, he rose slowly from his seat and waved goodbye to Javier and the football player smiled back causing Kevin’s knees to go weak.

Kevin was bummed to see that Javier wasn’t in his next period, Trig class and was in an even worse mood when he was in his 3rd period…gym.

Kevin wasn’t one of those always horny teenagers, and he didn’t find many guys attractive enough in the school to cause a problem in the locker room. But of course, Javier had to be put in his class, and his locker placed only three down the row. The coach had done his best to split up the boys, but there were one or two rows where more than one boy used a locker during that period.

"Hey Ryan," He heard Javier smile as he threw his bag of clothes into his open locker.

Kevin turned his head, it taking only a moment to register that Javier had called him by his last name. “Hey, Javier.”

"Fancy seeing you here." Javier grinned stripping off his t-shirt to reveal his toned chest and arms.

Kevin mumbled an agreement and stuck his head into his locker avoiding Javier until he was fully dressed again.

Kevin changed as quickly as he could out of his shirt and decided to wait until Javier finished his dressing and left the row of lockers until he even dared to change into his sweats.

Apparently, Javier was having no problem at all and was okay with coming over to Kevin’s side with his pants only half pulled up. “Yo, Ryan.”

Kevin peeked his head out from his locker and kept his eyes above Javier’s shoulder line. He silently prayed that his blush wasn’t as noticeable as it felt.

"Where’s your schedule, maybe we’re in other classes together. That’d be cool, don’t ya think?" Javier lifted the paper in his hand and waved it slightly at Kevin.

Kevin nodded and quickly pulled his out and handed it over to him, glad to have a moment distraction so he could pull down his pants and throw on his sweats. Kevin didn’t even think he was hard enough for Javier to notice, but it only took one mistake.

Kevin waited for the distinct sound of paper rustling to slip out of his jeans, groaning inwardly when the denim brushed against his groin. A quick look at least eased him to know that he was just being paranoid and there was no bulge exposing how he really felt about the boy next to him.

He pulled the sweats up and sighed in relief before turning around glad to have the confidence he had himself under control now that Javier was fully dressed.

"Man, we got home ec, lunch, english and Spanish together." Javier clapped Kevin on the back and grinned.

Kevin was still unsure to why Javier suddenly wanted nothing more than to hang out with him, but he wasn’t one to complain.

The class went by thankfully uneventful, since it was the first day they didn’t do much playing; just toured the just redone workout room and how to work the new machines.

Javier met up with Kevin in the locker room after class and even waited for him to get changed before heading out to their next class that they shared.

"Sucks that we didn’t get to play today." Javier said as he pushed open the door leading to the hall.

Kevin shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know, I don’t really like sports so I’m fine with it.”

Javier gave him a bewildered look, “What do you mean, you don’t do sports? What teenage boy doesn’t like sports?”

Kevin laughed, “I could name a few.” Javier was a decent kid, but he still had that mind where he thought everyone wanted to be like him and the baseball players.

"So, what do you do if you don’t play sports?" Javier didn’t sound rude; he sounded genuinely curious.

"I read, play the piano, hang out with my friend; what you do except substitute the interests for one or another." Kevin didn’t know why Javier even cared; his life wasn’t at all interesting.

"Anything after school? For the school like a club, maybe?" Kevin should have been wondering why he was asking so many questions, but the only thing he could think about was that Javier Esposito actually wanted to know about him and actually seemed to like him.

"I’m, uh, involved in the play." Kevin usually got embarrassed when he talked about his secret awe at watching performances up close.

Kevin sensed Javier’s hesitation, “You weren’t in any of the high school plays before, were you? I don’t think I remember you…”

Kevin’s heart stuttered at the thought that if Javier didn’t remember seeing him in the play, that must have meant that he was looking for him. “Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention I don’t act,” Kevin blushed looking down at his books, “I play the score on the piano.”

"That’s you? Man, you are talented!" Javier smiled and Kevin only felt his blush increase at Javier’s praising.

"You’re into the plays?" Kevin asked curiously because Javier did seem to have a good share of opinion on them.

"Not so much, more of moral support for my girl, Becks." Javier shoved past a group of over excited freshmen with a roll of his eyes.

"Your girl?" Kevin hadn’t meant to say it out loud, and didn’t realize he did until Javier laughed.

"Gross, dude, not like that! She’s practically my sister."

The jealousy that had rose in his stomach quickly disappeared after Javier’s explanation. “Oh.”

Javier rolled with his eyes with a smile before they finally reached the home ec class room. They stepped inside to see a room full of students split into tables of four. And the only two seats left happened to be in the same table as Kate Beckett and Rick Castle.

Rick was currently saying something to the girl that was making it almost impossible for her to breath. Kevin’s eyes almost burst out of his socket when he saw Kate place a hand on his knee as she laughed and said, “Rick, you’re killing me.”

Javier slid into the seat and immediately joined in on the laughter, “Hey, the party doesn’t start ‘til I get here so save the laughter.”

Kate rolled her eyes and nodded her head towards Rick still trying to subside her laughter, “Espo, this is Rick Castle.”

Kevin sat down silently watching the exchange from his seat as Javier held out his hand, “Nice to meet ya’…hey aren’t you the kid with the sweet ride? Red Ferrari?”

Rick smiled proudly with a shrug of his shoulders, “That would be me.”

"Nice, man, bet the ladies dig it." Javier said and Kevin ignored that small stab to the heart; just another painful reminder at how straight Javier was.

"Maybe, but there’s only one girl’s opinion I care about in this school…" He winked at Kate before turning on his charm to make her laugh again. "And no, it’s not Kevin."

Kevin blushed madly, used to Rick’s teasing, but yet to have it said in front of others. At least Javier seemed to think it was more funny than to actually agree with him as he laughed along, but glanced over at Kevin. He had a look on his face that Kevin couldn’t even see as anything other than questioning. He could practically hear Javier’s thoughts, Is this okay? Are we good enough friends to laugh jokes like this?

And if Kevin wasn’t in love with Javier already, then that moment made sure he fell all the way. And hard.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Javier and Kevin both talk through what they want and help gain some courage with help from Kate and Rick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is such a short and kinda slow chapter but I'm trying to set up the story.

"So what's with this sudden Kevin Ryan obsession?" Kate asked innocently, but Javier saw right through her facade.

"What are you talking about?" He felt a blush rising to his cheeks, but decided to ignore it as he kicked off his shoes into Kate's bedroom doorway.

Kate rolled her eyes with a groan. "You're right, I'm sorry. What's with you suddenly  _being so open_ about your little crush?"

"What? Is it a crime to be friendly to someone?" Javier sunk into Kate's bed and let his hand roam underneath to pull out a wine cooler from her secret stash. He grabbed a second and handed it to Kate.

They were hidden so Beckett's father never found them, them both being underage. Although they never really got drunk (unless they were at a party), they still enjoyed a drink every now and then.

Kate laughed. "It's not a crime, but it's not subtle either when you've spent the past  _years_ pining after him."

Javier ignored the fact that yes, maybe he did have a  _slight_  crush on the boy since middle school, but he wasn't being obvious about it. Not like Kate was. "Like you with Richard Castle?"

That barely fazed her as she scoffed. "Please, that boy has had the biggest crush on me for so long. And I'm not going to deny that today when he had the balls to come up and talk to me, I realized that I'm interested."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed I'm 100% straight." Javier took a sip of his drink, hoping she believed that. So he was bisexual ever since last summer, but  _she_ didn't have to know that.

He met a boy named Ike at baseball camp. They both knew it wouldn't last, it was more of a summer fling, but Javier cared for him just as much as he cared for any girl he was in a relationship prior to him. That summer left Javier realizing that sex and relationships were just as good as with boys as they were with girls.

"You're as straight as a paperclip." Beckett said flatly without hesitation.

Javier attempted to swallow back the shock of her knowing and play it off cooly. "Are you forgetting Lanie? Or when we went out in freshmen year for like 7 months."

"Are you forgetting there's something called bisexuality." Beckett mocked with a sip of her fruity drink. "I'm not an idiot."

"Okay...so maybe I'm bisexual and maybe I like Kevin. So what?" He grumbled swirling the glass bottle in his hand.

The next time Kate spoke, her voice was softer. "It's okay, you know. You liking a boy doesn't change anything and you know you're mother will agree."

"I'm captain of the baseball team, Kate. The team looks up to me and if they find out I like not only like a boy, but that boy happens to be  _Kevin Ryan_ …" he sighed with a shake of his head. "They'll torment me beyond belief."

Kate narrowed her eyes. "What's wrong with  _Kevin Ryan_?"

"He's, well, you know," Javier shrugged his shoulders, unable to think of a reason other than him not being well liked by his team. "Nerdy."

Kate raised her eyebrows. "I repeat,  _so what_? That obviously doesn't bother you since you fell for him the way he is."

Javier groaned. "I haven't fallen for him, Kate. It's just a crush, okay?"

Kate huffed a laugh. "And the Declaration of Independence was just a piece of paper."

"Why do you even care?"

"Because," she sat up straighter to look him in the eyes. "I'm your best friend and today when you were with Kevin, I knew you were happier than you've ever been when hanging with the baseball team. So what if Kevin's a loser to those dicks?"

"He's not a loser." Javier grumbled as he took another sip from his drink.

Kate smiled softly. "I know he isn't. So who cares what they think, Javier? It's time you've done something for yourself for once."

Javier shrugged, he knew she was right, but that didn't mean he was ready yet. "Kevin probably doesn't even like me back. His family is the most religious in this town. Imagine, preacher's son comes out gay," he laughs through the hurt and realization that for that exact reason he'll probably never be with Kevin.

Kate rubbed his leg with a smile. "And you're captain of the baseball team. Anything's possible."

* * *

"I guess I'll have to write Javier into my story." Rick said as he shuffled through his draft on his desk.

Kevin sat in the chair next to his desk. "And why's that?"

"Because there's obviously some chemistry between him and my main character's muse," Rick rolled his eyes and began to scribble on his papers.

"C'mon, Rick, it's not like that. He was only being nice to me," Kevin sighed leaning back in his chair.

Rick asked, "Then what is it like? I know how he was looking at you and what was running through that teenage, hormone, filled brain of his."

"Stop being so dramatic," Kevin flicked his shoulder.

"I can't help it, I get it from Mother," Rick snapped his fingers. "Why don't we ask her? She's great at advice, she'll know what to do."

Kevin's eyes widened when he saw Rick was actually standing up and getting ready to tell his mother. "No, Castle, we don't need to bring your mom into this!" He grabbed his friend's sleeve.

"Why not? She'll agree that he likes you. She's great at this romance crap," he continued to open the door.

"I just, don't need any help with this, Rick. So what if he likes me and I like him? It'll never work out anyway," Kevin grumbled and let go of Rick's sleeve to slouch in his chair.

Rick's face softened and he shut his bedroom door to sit back down. "Why don't you think it'll work if you both like each other?"

Kevin shook his head. "Nevermind."

To bad Rick was stubborn. "Nope, you brought it up, Kev. What's wrong?"

"He's  _captain of the baseball team_ , Rick. What am I? Some nerdy, pianist. I'm a loser," Kevin uttered, his eyes downcast in his lap.

"Says who? I think you're the coolest kid in school," Rick smiled bumping his arm lightly.

"That's because you're my best friend. Newsflash, last month his friends stuffed me in a locker for bumping into them in the hall. Imagine what they'll do when they find out I'm gay," Kevin paled ever so slightly. "And then my parents will find out. No, I can't."

"Who cares what a bunch of bullies think? They get off to hurting other people."

"They're his friends," Kevin repeated. "He's not going to give up his spot on the team and all of his buddies for me. I'm not worth it."

Rick's eyes immediately narrowed and he grabbed Kevin's cheeks and chin to force him to look into his eyes. "Stop that, Kevin Ryan." Kevin tried to say something, but Rick shushed him. "You're not just some piece of garbage. You beat yourself up more than you should. You're talented, you're smart, you're a great friend and you're the greatest person I know."

"And I'm a dork, I'm a nerd, I'm a sinner; going to Hell, just ask my parents about homosexuals. They'll tell you," he retorted.

Rick didn't move his hand away from Kevin's chin. He narrowed his eyes harder and continued to glare. "Stop."

"What?"

"Talking about yourself like that."

"This isn't one of your books, Rick. You can't just say the word and expect it to happen. Doesn't work like that." he remarked.

"Maybe that's why Seamus will get the boy and you won't ."

Kevin rolled his eyes hearing Rick bring his 'altar self' as a character in Rick's books. It was embarrassing to have a whole book based on yourself being the hero. Thankfully, Rick and him were the only ones to ever read the drafts. It was still a work in progress.

"I'm serious, Kevin." Rick said letting go of his chin.

Kevin continued to look his friend in the eyes. "You really think so?"

Rick smiled. "I know so. Just give it to a shot."

"Okay, fine." Kevin relented. "But if something goes wrong, I'm blaming you."


	3. Chapter 3

As the weeks went by, the four grew closer. They had become so close that they acted as if they'd known each other for years.

Rick and Kate even started dating after a month and a half of UST. Of course they tried to keep it from Kevin and Javier, but the boys saw right through them.

Javier spent all of his free time with Kevin, Kate and Rick causing his baseball teammates to feel left behind. Not that many cared; they were never really  _friends_ friends.

One of his closer friends, Jerry Tyson confronted him about it one day in early October. Javier was packing his things at his locker, getting ready for the play rehearsal after school when Jerry stopped him. "Yo, Espo," he said casually leaning against the wall of lockers. "You haven't been around lately. Whatcha' been up to?"

He was blocking Javier's path, preventing him from walking away. Javier shrugged his shoulders. "Working on my grades. Can't have too many distractions."

Jerry narrowed his eyes, not believing a word Javier told him. "Oh, your new little friends aren't distractions?" He scoffed. "I've seen the way that little nerd follows you around like a lost puppy."

Javier didn't like that way that Jerry was talking about presumably Kevin, but he didn't want to start a scene. "Yeah, well, that's your opinion. That  _nerd_ happens to be my friend."

"Dude, you're captain of the baseball team. You're too good for those bottom feeders."

"Tyson, just let me go. I'm supposed to be somewhere." Javier ignored Jerry's cruel words.

"Theatre, right?" Jerry said smugly; he knew he wasn't wrong. Alarm quickly spread over Javier's face and Jerry rolled his eyes. "You really think we wouldn't notice where you run off to  _every day_? The only question is, what are you up to because I know you ain't no actor."

"Kate's one of the leads," Javier said simply. At least it not a complete lie.

"Wouldn't have anything to do with the Preacher's boy, would it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Javier's fist curled tightly in a threatening manner.

"You know exactly what, Captain." Jerry winked with a mock salute before disappearing down the hall.

Javier watched him leave before hurrying to the theatre doors in the lobby. He pushed them open and stole one last glance to see if anyone was watching (like Jerry claimed) before stepping inside. He walked right to the piano set up in front of the stage where Kevin was practicing a few notes while Kate went over her lines. Rick, of course, was sitting right beside her insisting he could improve the script with just a few adjustments.

Javier grinned at his small group of friends. "Hey, guys. Staying late?" He commented on how empty the auditorium was compared to the full rehearsals. Besides for the four at the piano, there was probably only a dozen kids left.

"Late? If you think this is late, then don't ask what time Kevin leaves when he's done practicing the piano," Rick rolled his eyes. "He has me driving him home at 8 o'clock some nights."

Kevin grinned sheepishly and Javier gestured to the piano. "This isn't him practicing?"

Rick continued the conversation like Kevin wasn't sitting right next to them. "For the play, sure, but just practicing a song on his own? Not even close."

Kevin looked over at Rick with a slight blush before turning back to Javier. "My parents don't approve of me playing anything other than church hymns at our house."

"There's a lot of things your parents don't approve of," Rick muttered causing Kevin to glare at him. "He plays a lot at my house mostly, but isn't a fan of an audience while he plays."

Javier smiled and slid onto the piano bench next to Kevin. "I learn something new about you everyday," he whispered, wiping the glare off Kevin's face. Kevin turned to look at him just in time to see the flirtatious smile Javier was wearing. They were so close that their noses would touch if Javier had the balls to close the gap.

But he wouldn't, not here, not now. So he leaned back to see Kevin's blush deepen. "Whatever you learn about me from Rick, just assume it's a lie."

Rick flicked his pencap over at Kevin's face, successfully hitting his cheek. "Shut up. I know more about you than  _you_ do."

Hearing Rick saying this, Javier couldn't help the twinge of jealousy. Rick has probably known Kevin since elementary school. For the past three years that Javier has known Kevin, he's always been with Rick. During school, after school, outside of school.

Javier could have had that relationship if he stopped hanging out with his asshole 'friends'. Javier was more than glad that he's had Kate by his side since fifth grade, but he still wished that he was as close to her as close as Rick and Kevin were.

Not being mean in any way, Javier knew that Rick and Kevin weren't the popular kids in school. In fact, their only friends were each other. They were the nerds of the school, the ones the 'cool kids' found fun in teasing and the jocks enjoyed pushing them around.

Only having each other and constantly needing to check the other's back for a 'kick me' sign tightened their bond, Javier supposed.

But little did they know that Javier was watching their backs the whole time. He wasn't there to stop everything, like the occasional shove or trip, but most things he put an end to before they even started.

That's when he should've known to cut all ties with the baseball team; especially the day when they wanted to beat Rick and Kevin into unconsciousness when Kevin refused to do Lockwood's science project and Castle wouldn't write Tyson's paper. Thankfully, Javier was quick on his feet and said they'd get caught and then be suspended from the team.

Although there were a few times when Javier was unable to stop the bullying and humiliation, he tried his hardest.

His mother and Kate always teased him about being Rick and Kevin's Guardian Angel. He always made a face, but deep down he didn't mind the title one bit.

The other three must have continued the conversation while Javier was lost in thought because when he came back, Kevin was inviting them all to dinner tomorrow. "You don't have to come if you don't want to...but my mother and father would love to meet you two," the last part was directed to Kate and Javier.

"Translation, his mom is hoping that her baby boy found other friends and dumped me," Rick seemed proud to announce with a shrug of his shoulders. "They're not my biggest fans."

Kevin didn't make a move to disagree. "They're strict, and I understand if you don't want to go, but-" Kevin rubbed his neck and Kate interrupted him.

"It's fine, Kevin, I'm sure your parents just want the best and wouldn't want to lose you to the dark side with this kid," she smirked jutting a thumb in her boyfriend's direction.

"Love you, too." Rick said, placing a small kiss to the top of her head.

Yet again Javier found himself jealous of Richard Castle and how eas and accepted it was for him to show affection to the person he liked. "Get a room," he gently kicked Rick's shin hoping he didn't sound as envious as he felt.

Rick checked his watch and winked at Kate. "I think it's about time we do."

Kate shook her head. "Just let me finish this scene before we leave. Kevin was helping, but you can take over so he can focus on the piano."

Rick grinned and picked up the script from in front of Kevin. His eyes skimmed over the duet Kate was sharing with the male lead and by the time he lifted his eyes back to Kate, he was practically fuming. "Why does this say, 'Tony kisses Emma softly'?! You didn't tell me you need to kiss someone-or else I would have made sure I got that part."

Javier bit back a grin at Rick's jealousy. Although, he wasn't one to talk seeing as jealousy filled his thoughts since the moment he walked through those doors.

"Calm down, Rick-" Kate started, but was interrupted by Rick.

"Who is it?"

"What?"

"Who plays this Tony dude?'

Kate raised her eyebrows. "Josh."

Rick groaned. "Oh great, I have to compete with  _him_."

"You don't have to-" Kate stopped short when she saw Rick suddenly scribbling on her script. "What are you doing?"

Rick didn't stop from writing. "Just a correction here or there; the song now ends with you two hating each other and your ruggedly handsome prince comes along to save the day."

Kate quickly grabbed her script back from him. "Rick, you can't change the story."

"I'm a writer," Castle scoffed. "That's what we do."

" _Rick,_ " she warned.

Rick huffed and gave up. "Okay, fine, but at least let me get rid of the kiss."

"If it bothers you that much I'll talk to the director, okay?" She placed her hand on Rick's.

He smiled gratefully. "For now the only Tony you get to practice that kiss with is  _me_."

" _Not here,_ " Kevin said before Rick could move an inch closer.

Rick glared at him half heartedly at Kevin to which he he returned with a smile. He looked around the auditorium and noticed that that most of the kids that were there all left and the ones that remained were packing up their things.

"Looks like practice is over," Rick grinned and pulled Kate from her spot where she was perched on top of the piano.

Even though Kate didn't get to practice one line, she laughed and allowed herself to pulled to her backpack on the floor. She grabbed it and waved goodbye to Kevin and Javier. "I'll see you guys, tomorrow."

Rick and Kate's hushed whispering slowly echoed out of the auditorium until Kevin and Javier- were left in the silence. Kevin's fingers danced across the keys, but they didn't press hard enough to make a sound.

Javier wanted to hear him play; he wanted to hear the music that Kevin could make. Javier tapped the key closest to him capturing Kevin's attention. Javier smiled and said, "Just us here. You think I could hear you play?"

Kevin looked down at his fingers that were hovering above the keys. "You really want to hear me?"

"Of course," Javier answered right away. "Why wouldn't I?"

[(If you want to listen to the song Kevin is playing while you read, right click this and choose 'open in new tab'.)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R3GtAnO66o)

Kevin started playing carefully, his fingers gracefully but agilely hitting each key. He took a deep breath and began to sing softly. " _If you search for tenderness, it isn't hard to find. You can have the love you need to live,_ " Kevin looked up to see Javier listening with a smile on his face, so he made his voice sound stronger.

" _But if you look for truthfulness, you might just as well be blind,_ " Kevin looked back down at the piano getting into the song. " _It always seems to be so hard to give._ " He sat up straighter as he started the chorus. " _Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue. Honesty is hardly ever heard and mostly what I need from you."_

By then, Kevin wasn't paying attention to anything other than the instrument beneath his fingers. Javier doubted that Kevin even remembered he was singing him. But the lyrics of the song made Javier pray he did.

" _I can always find someone to say they sympathize if I wear my heart out on my sleeve._ " Kevin looked back up at Javier, bright blue eyes meeting warm brown. Javier felt chills run down his back when Kevin continued to sing while never breaking eye contact.

" _But, I don't want some pretty face to tell me pretty lies. All I want is someone to believe."_ He took in a quick breath after that long note before continuing. " _Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue._ " He slowed down the tempo of the song, and leaned closer to Javier. His singing was just a whisper, " _Honesty is hardly ever heard and mostly what I need from you."_

The melody stopped, but not abruptly as Kevin moved closer and Javier felt his heart racing.  _He was centimeters away from kissing Kevin Ryan._ The lips he's wanted to taste for years were finally within his reach. All he had to do was close the gap.

His hand found Kevin's on the bench and he held it close just as he was about to seal their lips.

 _Bang!_ The auditorium doors bursted open and Kevin and Javier jumped apart to stare at them. Rick walked through with a smile. "Forgot my car keys. Can you toss them over?"

Kevin was looking down in his lap and Javier couldn't see his face. Javier sighed and grabbed the keys and chucked them over to the cock block of a writer. "Take 'em," he said with a huff.

Rick caught them with little effort, but was expecting a light toss. He gave Javier a concerned look before speaking to Kevin. "Hey, Leprechaun, you coming with me or you staying late to practice?"

Usually Kevin would protest to being called 'leprechaun', but he didn't this time. He only scooped up his music sheets and stood up from the bench hastily. "See you tomorrow, Javier," Kevin muttered, avoiding his gaze before shuffling out of the auditorium.

That left a very confused Javier sitting alone on the piano bench feeling like the biggest ass in the world.

* * *

The next morning, Javier didn't feel like going to school and showing his face. His trip to the kitchen was slow and long. When he finally did sit at the kitchen table, his mother stared at him in concern.

"Hijo, you're not even dressed yet," she stood up from her seat to place the back of her hand against his forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah," Javier mumbled.

She pulled her hand back with a small frown. "Your temperature is normal. Is something else bothering you?"

Javier picked at his oatmeal in front of him for a few seconds until he sighed. "I made a huge mistake yesterday, Mama. Well, I didn't think it was a mistake until  _afterwards_."

"Mhmm," his mother hummed, taking her seat once again. "And would this have anything to do with a certain new friend of yours?"

Javier looked up in surprise. "How did you-"

His mother rolls her eyes fondly. "Please, I'm your mother. I know everything." Her tone softened as she said, "So what happened?"

Javier looked back down to his bowl and answered, "I almost kissed Kevin."

"What stopped you?" His mother asked, not even batting an eyelash at the news of her son almost kissing a boy.

"Rick," he said getting frustrated all over again. "Kevin was playing the piano. It was kinda romantic," he shrugged his shoulders feeling the need to defend himself. "And he started to lean in closer and so did I. I took his hand and we were about to, you know, kiss," he blushed, suddenly embarrassed to venting to his mother about this. "And that's when Rick stormed back through the doors. And he drove Kevin home. He wouldn't even look me in the eye before he left," he said in an almost broken whisper.

"And how was that a mistake?"

"Mama," he said with furrowed eyebrows. "I almost kissed him."

"Sounds to me like he wanted it just as much you."

Javier sighed heavily. "Then why did he run out so fast?"

HIs mother smiled. "Honey, you've got to give him a chance. We both know who his parents are and how they'd react to him. You gave him the night and now see if he brings it up in school."

Javier nodded. "I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right," she smile patting his hand lightly. "Now go get your boy."

* * *

Kevin felt like shit the entire rest of the day. He knew he shouldn't have ran off like that, but he panicked. A perfectly normal reaction when the cutest guy in school and his long time crush was about to kiss him. He could still feel Javier's hand over his.

He wished he declined Rick's offer for a drive home. He wished he stayed and got that kiss. But he was an idiot.

He decided that he would talk to Javier at his locker before they walked to Chem like usual, but Javier never showed. Kevin walked to the classroom thinking that he ruined their friendship and Javier would never want to speak to him again.

He sat through Mr. Pearlmutter's boring teaching staring at the door hoping that Javier would walk through the door late, but he never did.

When the bell rang to end first period, Kevin sighed sadly and gathered his books. His next class was just as tortuous and when he walked to the gym for third, he expected the same. He walked to his locker, dragging his feet.

Out of habit, he turned to Javier's locker only a few down from him. Alone again.

By lunch time, Kevin was miserable and didn't want to answer any of Rick's or Kate's questions. So he told Rick he had to make up a test that period and ate his lunch outside. He was huddled on the bench just behind the school. The air was chilly and he was getting cold, but he ignored it the best he could.

Half way through the period, he was just staring at the empty baseball field; his sandwich forgotten by his side. Then he heard someone call his name. He turned around searching for the source of the voice until his eyes found a familiar face leaning against the school wall. "Javier," he breathed and quickly stood up to walk over.

When he got to Javier's side, everything he wanted to say was lost. He stood there trying to form an apology for a few seconds, but in the end just said, "I know I'm an idiot, Javi and you should be punching me in the face right now. I shouldn't have just  _left you_. I didn't want to. Well, I guess at the time I did because I panicked, but I wish I didn't. I'm just so sorry and-"

Javier silenced his rambling by tugging on his sweater vest. Kevin fell forward and their lips connected. Kevin's were cold and chapped against Javier's warm lips. He moaned at the warmth and pulled Javier closer.

Kevin felt Javier grin against his mouth and Kevin smiled back. Kevin wanted to spend his whole life kissing Javier, but his lungs begged otherwise so he pulled his head backwards with a loud gasp of air.

Looking at Javier with his now swollen lips made Kevin self conscious. "Was that right? I'm sorry, you're my first, and I just don't-"

Javier placed his hand on Kevin's cheek and brought him closer. "It was perfect," Javier said before kissing his lips softly.

"I'm sorry I left yesterday," Kevin whispered.

Javier shook his head. "I'm sorry I let you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Kevin sang is _Honesty_ by Billy Joel. 
> 
> I want to thank everyone for reading, kudos-ing, bookmarking and especially reviewing my story. It means a lot.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for homophobic slurs and language in this chapter.

"You sure you've never done this before?" Javier grinned.

"Before you? Yes, I'm positive. Now shut up and kiss me," Kevin said, leaning forward to try and catch Javier's lips again.

Javier let his hands roam down Kevin's back until they reached the swell of his ass. "So I gotta ask...is it as good as you imagined?" He pulled Kevin closer so their chests were flush against one another.

"Mmm, even better." Kevin wrapped his hands around the back of Javier's neck.

Just as Javier leaned down to steal another kiss, wanting to feel Kevin's lips against his again, the bell signalling the end of their lunch period rang. He cursed under his breath and kissed Kevin's cheek chastely instead. "As much as I want to keep kissing those lips, if you don't get back to class soon, you'll get a tardy.

Kevin wasn't going to give up that easy. "Eh, next period's Spanish. I can skip it."

Javier raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really. Why's that?"

Kevin leaned up to place a quick kiss to Javier's lips. "I've got all the Spanish I need  _right here_."

That had to be the most dorkiest, most cliche thing that Javier has ever heard. But hearing it from Kevin made it nothing other than adorable. "Nice try. If you get caught they'll call home and frankly, I don't want to meet your mom the day I encourage her son to cut class."

"She won't know. I promise." Kevin looked up at Javier with pleading eyes and it just wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all.

Javier tugged Kevin's wrist towards the back of the parking lot that ran to the baseball field. "You're a horrible influence, Kevin Ryan."

* * *

Kevin was in the middle of cleaning all his dirty clothes off the floor when his mother opened his door and walked through without a knock. He didn't even get a 'hello' before she asked, "Kevin, why weren't you in Spanish class today? I got a call from your school saying you have an unverified absence for that period."

Kevin turns around to see her arms crossed over her chest and she does not look happy. He threw one of his t-shirts in his hamper and lied, "I was there, Ma. Maybe the teacher missed me."

"Uh-huh." She rolled her eyes dubiously. "If I found out you cut to get into trouble with Rick, you will not be seeing outside these four walls besides for school for a  _very_ long time, mister."

Kevin bit his lip. "Scout's honor; I can even show you my notes after dinner."

"You better," she said sternly. "You're just lucky I didn't tell your father or he would have told your friends to go home the minute they showed at the door."

"I know-,"

"What do you say, Kevin?" She asked without letting him finish.

"I-,"

" _Kevin_."

Kevin sighed. "Thank you, ma'am."

His mother didn't move for a long moment and when she did, she said, "You better not to be lying to me." And she exited the room with a slam of the door.

Once the door was shut, Kevin quickly grabbed his cell phone off his bed and dialed his best friend's number. He picked up before the second ring. " _Hey, Kev-,"_

"Rick! I need the Spanish notes from class today," he said in a hurry.

" _Well, hello to you, too, Kevin."_

"If you don't bring the notes tonight, then I will no longer be your friend. My mother will kill me and therefore I won't be able to be your friend.  _You will lose your best friend._ "

Rick chuckled. " _I was wondering where you were. But then Kate saw you in history so you were just cutting Spanish, huh?"_

" _Shh_! My mother probably has my phone tapped. I wasn't  _cutting_ , I just lost track of time." Kevin hoped that Rick bought the excuse so he wouldn't get the third degree.

" _Uh huh, you 'lost track of time'."_

Dammit, he didn't sound convinced at all. "It was nothing. Javi overslept and met me up at lunch time...we were talking."

" _Ahh, so that's what the kids call it nowadays."_ Rick was having too much fun with this.

" _Rick_." Kevin sighed, plopping down on his bed.

" _I'm just teasing you, Kev. I'll have the notes tonight. And don't worry, your mother will never find them."_  Kevin could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Don't put them in your pants." Kevin said, remembering the night when Rick came to sleep over, he hid some sugar filled snacks that Kevin's mother would never allow in her house if she knew, in his pants. It was safe to say that Kevin didn't eat any. And he still didn't know why Rick chose to hid them in his pants rather than in his overnight bag.

" _Beggars can't be choosers,"_ Rick said just before Kevin heard the dial tone. Kevin rolled his eyes, knowing that just because he asked Rick to  _not_ hide them in his pants, he totally was going to do it.

Kevin sighed and rolled his eyes. What else would he expect from his best friend? Rick was the one that always tried to see how far he could push Kevin's mother's buttons before she actually exploded. Kevin always made sure his chores were done, he came home before curfew and ma'am was added when he was addressing her.

He was just beginning to imagine all the trouble Rick was bound to cause that night at supper when his phone rang. He felt his stomach rush with butterflies when he read Javier's name. He still couldn't believe they were together.

Kevin fell back on his bed like a typical cliche teenager in love when he answered. "Hey, Javi."

" _Hey, Kev. I know dinner isn't for a few hours, but I was curious to what my boyfriend's favorite dessert is."_

Kevin closed his eyes as he felt his heart warm. "Boyfriend, huh?"

When Javier chuckled, Kevin imagine that he was laying right next to him and there wasn't such a distance between them. " _Well you don't seem like the friends with benefits type. And to be honest that's not what I'm looking for."_

Kevin smiled, opening his eyes to look up at the ceiling. "Then you've come to the right place."

" _Good. Now how about you tell what you'd love to eat tonight so I don't meet your parents seeming like a fool."_

Kevin bit his lip. "Javi...I'm sorry again. I shouldn't have to hide us. But I'm not ready for my parents to know yet. I feel like-"

" _Woah!"_ Javier interrupts him, " _Don't worry about it, Kevin. I get it. Not all are as understanding as my mom. There is no pressure."_

Kevin knew that Javier wasn't upset at him for wanting their relationship to stay a secret now, but what about later on? What if Javier grew tired of being Kevin's 'dirty little secret' and broke things off before Kevin got his act together. He definitely wasn't going to let his parents know about his sexuality until he was 18 and out of the house; he'd heard his father speak about 'sick' children and Kevin did not want to end up like them.

But if Javier couldn't wait until after they graduated...well that was something he had to deal with later. So why worry about it now? He was happy and not even his parents' bigoted opinions could ruin that.

"Besides, this way I get to keep you all to myself."

" _Ooh, I like the sound of that, corazon,"_ Javier whispered.

Every time Kevin heard Spanish roll off Javier's tongue, it drove him crazy, especially when it was directed to him. "Good. So how about you forget about the dessert and just worry about getting your sexy ass over here on time before my mother obliterates it."

" _I cannot show up_ without  _something. So if you continue to be difficult, I will make it a surprise and you get what you get."_

Kevin rolled over on his stomach and grinned. " _Surprise me_."

Javier's laugh rumbled over the speaker. "You got it, babe."

Kevin closed his eyes with a smile on his face. With Javier by his side, Kevin doubted anything could go wrong tonight.

* * *

15 minutes...Javier was supposed to arrive 15 minutes ago, but here it was a quarter after 8 and Javier was nowhere to be seen. Even Rick was sitting at the table.

Of course, Kevin's mother gave him the third degree when he walked in, asking him where her son was during Spanish. As always, Rick had his back.

"You told your friend what time we were having dinner, correct?" Kevin's mother asked with pursed lips.

"Yes, ma'am." Kevin fidgeted staring up at the wall clock again. "He'll be here soon-"

"It's rude to keep your host waiting." Kevin's father didn't even look up from his evening paper.

Kevin bit his lip to refrain himself from telling his father how rude it was to read at the table. "Don't worry-" The ring of the doorbell interrupted him and he said a silent pray for it to be Javier. He rushed out of his chair. "I'll get it!"

He hurried over to the door and threw it open to see Javier standing behind it with a smile on his face. He peeked over Kevin's shoulder to make sure the room was empty before kissing his cheek. "Hey, Kev."

Kevin jumped back a bit and whispered, " _Javier._ My parents are in the other room and you're late!"

Javier rolled his eyes, but his smile remained. "Your peach cobbler took a little longer to cook than planned. Sorry."

Kevin grabbed Javier's wrist and dragged him towards the dining room. Everyone's eyes were on them as they walked through the door. Kevin didn't even have to tell Javier before he was walking up to his mother and properly introducing himself.

"Mrs. Ryan, I'm Javier. I'm so sorry I'm late. I didn't want to rush the dessert." He held up the dish in his hands with an apologetic smile.

Her eyes immediately softened and she stood up to take the hot dish from his hands. "Oh. You brought dessert? How sweet of you." Once she placed it on the counter, she took Javier's extended hand and smile approvingly. "It's about time Kevin found a friend with manners," she said pointedly.

Rick paused his eating and narrowed his eyes. "Hey."

Javier tuned to Kevin's father next and although he didn't stand, he did take Javier's hand. "Good to meet you, boy."

Javier dipped his head in a nod. "You too, sir." He said hello to both Rick and Kate before taking a seat next to Kevin. He gave him a discreet wink before turning to his plate. "Mrs. Ryan, this looks delicious."

She smiled and all her previous aggravation at his tardiness disappeared. "Thank you, Javier. And that peach cobbler smells delicious. My grandmother used to make one every Sunday dinner."

Javier nodded and held his hands out to each side. "Grace?"

Kevin's mother looked surprised, but she smiled a second later. "Would you like to start it?"

"Bless us, oh Lord, and these your gifts which we are about to receive from your bounty. Through Christ our Lord we pray," Javier said, impressing his friends at the table and especially Kevin's parents. He really knew how to get on their good side. Rick should be taking notes.

"Amen," they all said in unison before they started in on their meal. Dinner was quiet and there was little to no conversation besides for a few questions directed to Kate and Javier to see what kind of kids they were.

As Kevin's mother began to dish out the peach cobbler, her husband huffed angrily and snapped his newspaper shut. "It's people like that that make me disgraced of what our species has come to."

Kevin didn't even have to ask to know what 'people' he was referring to. But his mother played along and asked, "What's wrong, dear?"

"There was another protest over in the square. Those  _abominations_ were going on about how love is love and God doesn't care who marries whom." He scoffed. "Can you believe that? And not to mention all the kids those faggots are brainwashing."

The table went silent and Kevin wished he never brought anyone home to meet his parents. He knew his father wouldn't behave for at least one night. Javier tensed besides him, but remained quiet. Rick being Rick opened his mouth. "Ya know, Mr. R, I could say the same about you."

Kevin's father ignored Rick, used to his wise-ass retorts. Especially when he voiced his opinion about sexuality. Kevin was never able to stick up for himself, but Rick was more than happy to.

Kevin's mother chimed in, dishing out the last plate before taking her seat again. "It's just a phase, honey. Soon the world will realize that being 'gay' isn't cool."

"You know the Harrison's boy? Turns out he was seeing some boy. His parents are insisting medication to help get rid of the disease, but the boy refuses. His father sounded so ashamed when he told me, not that I blame him. Having a son like  _that_ is such a disappointment." He shook his head with a sigh. "If he was my boy...well, let's just be thankful for my son's sake that he  _isn't_ a fairy."

Both of his parents shared a chuckle, but Kevin started to feel his stomach churn and looked down dejectedly at his plate. He should have known his parents would do this in front of his friends. "Can I be excused from the table please?"

Kevin's father turned back to his paper. "You don't leave until everyone is finished."

"And you didn't even try Javier's cobbler." Kevin's mother raised a forkful in the air with a smile, like she wasn't just calling her son an abomination moments earlier.

Javier knew that Kevin's appetite was ruined. "That's alright. We can save him a piece."

Kevin's mother didn't look like she wanted to let it slide, but thankfully she did. "Alright, but you're still sitting here until everyone is finished."

And so he sat through the last few minutes of the meal. His parents were chatting amongst each other, but the four teenagers stayed quiet. All three of Kevin's friends wanted to pull him into a hug, but they knew that would raise some alarms to the adults at the table. They didn't know that they personally attacked their son.

So they finished off their dessert as quickly as they could without making themselves sick. Rick stood up first with his dirty plate in hand. "Mr. and Mrs. R, why don't you guys go catch the news and we'll clean up after dinner." Rick nodded his head towards the living room where the television was.

Kevin's mother eyed him, suspicious of his sudden manners. But she wasn't going to look a gifted horse in the mouth, so she stood from the table followed by her husband. "Thank you, Rick. It's nice to have a break."

Rick plastered a faux smile on his face until they disappeared into the other room. "Fucking asses," he muttered.

Javier wanted so desperately to lean over and kiss the pain away, but he wasn't going to take any chances with Kevin's parents in the other room. "Kev," he said softly instead, "don't listen to them."

Kevin didn't lift up his head or show any other signs that he acknowledged Javier's words. The other three exchanged worried glances, but didn't say a word.

Javier turned to Rick to see what he was going to do. He'd known Kevin the longest so it made sense that he'd probably been through this before. Rick just shook his head and sighed sadly before he started clearing the table.

Kate made her way behind Kevin and wrapped her arms around his chest. She leaned down and kissed behind his ear softly before resting her chin on her shoulder. "You know they're wrong, Kevin. I think they should be honored to have a son as great as you."

Finally responding, Kevin lifted his hands to hold Kate's loosely over his chest. "Thanks, Kate."

Kate let go of him with one last squeeze before she helped Rick clear off the table. She looked up at her boyfriend and Rick frowned, knowing she was bothered by what happened at dinner as well. Rick casted a look over to where Javier was talking to Kevin in hushed whispers, no doubt trying to get him to feel better. Rick turned back to Kate and said, "He'll be okay. He'll come to us soon and as long as we're there for him, he'll be okay."

Kate hesitantly nodded. She wasn't used to this and didn't want to wait. She wanted Kevin's blue to eyes to shine with his wide smile  _now_.

She turned back to the dishes and tried to let the warm sudsy water soothe her, but she just couldn't get the look of Kevin's face as his father talked about how much of disgrace Kevin would be if he truly knew. It was sad that she was only friends with Kevin for a few weeks and she knew him better than his parents. Sure, he never went up to her and said, "Hey! I'm not straight!" But the little things gave it away. Like his obsession with Harrison Ford. Or the way he stared at Javier sometimes.

Kevin's soft and almost breaking voice disrupted her from her thoughts. "I'm really sorry, guys."

"Hey, you don't need to apologize," Rick said firmly. "We know they're real pieces of work, but you're nothing like them."

"This was supposed to be a good night...I thought that maybe just  _once_ they'd be an actual mom and dad." He turned his head away from his friends to stare at the wall. "All they did was embarrass me and ruin dinner."

Rick shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't think dinner was ruined. I licked your dad's fork when he wasn't looking."

Kevin turned to face Rick again and stared at him silently for a brief moment before he let out a low chuckle. "Really?"

"You think I'd waste a perfect opportunity like that?"

"Sometimes I forget the perks of having a nine-year old as a friend." Kevin said, finally smiling.

Rick's shoulders relaxed at the sight of the smile. That's all he was aiming to get.

"Hey, Javi," Kevin said, turning to his boyfriend. "Do you think you could make your cobbler another time? I was actually looking forward to it...until, you know…"

Javier wasn't about to let the mood sour again at the thought of Kevin's parents. "Of course. I'll make anything you want and we'll keep it away from Rick so he doesn't eat it all."

"I only had two plates of your cobber- and shouldn't that be a  _compliment_?" Rick huffed, crossing his arms with a small smirk.

Javier ignored him, but smiled softly when he noticed Kevin's eyes flick over to Rick and his smile widened just a mere bit. "How about we forget this night ever happened and we call do-over?"

"Yeah," Rick agreed. "We can go to my place one night. I just got the coolest new laser-tag set."

"Of course you did."

"Hey, don't act like you're not just as excited."

Kevin smiled up at his friends, glad that he had them to bring a smile to his face during the most least likely of times.

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Javier asked as they reached his car parked out front. Technically his mother's car, but she let him borrow it for the night.

Kevin smiled and nodded. "I'll be fine, Javi, really."

Javier nodded back and his eyes quickly flicked down to Kevin's lips. "I really wanna kiss you right now," he admitted softly.

"So do I, but my parents are probably watching us through the window right now."

Javier's gaze floated over Kevin's shoulder and he chuckled. "At least they like me, right?"

"That I do have to agree with. Although in my parents' opinions, anyone compared to Rick is a saint," Kevin said as Javier got into the car.

Javier lifted his hand to turn the key into the ignition, but paused and turned back to Kevin with soft eyes. "I'm sorry, Kevin."

Kevin furrowed his eyebrows. "For what?"

Javier tapped his fingers against the steering wheel with a shrug of his shoulders. "I dunno." He turned away and stared down at the wheel. "I guess, I just know how important this was to you."

Kevin smiled softly. "Wasn't your fault it all went to crap." Kevin leaned in closer, but stayed far away enough so he wouldn't be tempted to close the gap between their lips. "And besides, you were the perfect boyfriend. You even brought dessert, which I'm sorry I passed on."

Javier leaned forward and rubbed his nose against Kevin's for a brief second."I'll tell you what, corazon, tomorrow you meet me behind that tree before we go to lunch and I'll let you taste something better than peach cobbler."

Kevin blushed when their noses touched. It always warmed his heart at just how sappy his boyfriend could be sometimes. "You promise?"

Javier winked. "I promise."


End file.
